The Strehareț Monastery is located in the north of Slatina, near the Agricultural High School. From the "Oltul" store, you can reach it on foot following a route on Nicolae Bălcescu street, then on Tudor Vladimirescu street, passing by St. Nicholas Church and Strehareți cemetery.
Strehareț Monastery, more than 340 years old, is a place of silence and prayer for generations of Olteni, located in a quiet and picturesque place near the forest and the Olt river.
Abbot Serafim from the Deleni Monastery, mentioned in the first documents, was the founder of the Strehareț Monastery. Despite the rumors about his death, Serafim was moved to Buzău, becoming Bishop of Buzău and collaborating with the Mihalcea Căndescu brothers.
Bishop Seraphim began the construction of the monastery by purchasing land and brick, demonstrating remarkable devotion to this religious and personal project.
Radu Vodă Leon supported the construction of the monastery, offering Bishop Serafim estates and tax exemptions, and the monastery was dedicated to the Metropolitanate of Bucharest in 1668.
Documents and research clarified that Bishop Seraphim is the founder of the monastery, eliminating the confusion that included Metropolitan Varlaam. Seraphim continued to strengthen and endow the monastery according to his possibilities.
T. G. Bulat concludes that Bishop Seraphim died between December 1671 and February 1673. After his death, the monastery continued to receive Danes and acquire estates and vineyards under the leadership of Abbot Veniamin.
Notable donors, such as the Buzescu family, contributed to the development of the monastery, and Şerban Vodă Cantacuzino officially confirmed that the monastery was founded by Bishop Serafim.
The residents of Slatina testified, through various donations, that the monastery was founded by Bishop Seraphim, which was officially recognized by the authorities as well.
Abbot Veniamin received donations for the monastery, and in 1683 Necula donated property to the monastery. This underlines the important contribution of Bishop Seraphim and Abbot Veniamin to the development of the monastery.
In 1687, Filotei became abbot and took care of the defense of the monastery's properties. Donors such as Voica and Constantin Vodă Brâncoveanu confirm the foundation of Bishop Seraphim and contribute to the development of the monastery.
Throughout its history, Strehareț Monastery was devastated by Turks, fires, earthquakes and the communist regime, but it survived thanks to the support of faithful and worthy people. With the support of the faithful, the monastery was restored and pilgrims can now pray in peace. The church and two walls bear witness to its rich history.
The Strehareț Monastery Church is small in size, with an elongated rectangular plan and a bell tower above the pronaos, with thick walls supporting the structure. The nave of the church, lit by two windows, is separated from the pronaos and the altar by walled structures, and the altar is cylindrical on the inside and polygonal on the outside, lit by a window to the east.
Access to the church tower is via a wooden staircase, but there are no indications that it was used for a bell. Subsequent interventions modified the original structure.
The facades of the church are simple, divided into two registers by a girdle. The exterior decoration and slender proportions contribute to the dominant impression of the church in the monastery as a whole.
The earthquakes of 1940 and 1977 affected the church and the frescoes were partially degraded. Restorations in 1982 and subsequent works contributed to the preservation and maintenance of the place of worship. Between 2000-2008, priest Cristian Stoica carried out various renovation and modernization works of the church, culminating in its re-consecration in 2006.
Since 2008, under the leadership of Mother Abbess Irina Niculescu, the monastery has been expanded and modernized, currently offering a place to live for three monks.
Sursa: www.episcopiaslatinei.ro
